Stand Against AIDS Caravan On The Move To Mississippi

Nine separate Stand Against AIDS caravans are snaking across the United States, making their way to Oxford, Miss., where Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain will hold their first presidential debate. The Campaign to End AIDS organized the caravans; it’s supported by hundreds of nationwide HIV organizations.

The caravans focus on the need for what’s called a National AIDS Strategy. Under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), President George W. Bush has allocated $50 billion over five years to fighting the epidemic overseas. For countries to receive U.S. funds, they must develop a National AIDS Strategy, a plan that lays out how it will combat the epidemic and track its progress. Ironically, the United States has no such unified plan: We would be ineligible for our own funding. More than 300 HIV-positive activists in the caravans want the next president to implement such strategy, unified under one department, within his first 100 days in office.

The caravans, whether by foot, train, plane or vehicle, started on September 13 in California, Washington, Texas, Minnesota, Mississippi, Maine, Virginia and Florida. When the caravans converge in Oxford, they’ll present “messages in a bottle,” which have been collected along the way, with a press conference to reiterate the need for a National AIDS Strategy. In the four days leading up to the debate, barbecues, rallies, town-hall meetings and a mock funeral will ensue where nearly 3,000 journalists from around the world are expected to converge. “We are basically taking over [Oxford] for the three days leading up to the debate,” said Dennis Weakly, New York State community organizer for Housing Works, who’s traveling with the caravan.

Organizers and activists created the Campaign to End AIDS in 2004 to promote a National AIDS Strategy that would focus on condom use, safe needle exchange and other proactive programs.

The Sept 26 debate between Obama and McCain at the University of Mississippi will focus on domestic policy focus. Courtesy New York Blade.